The statistics make for bleak reading. Nationally, Rhode Island ranks 33rd in high school attainment, by far the lowest rate in New England. The state also has the highest proportion of adults over age 85 in the country, while the proportion of the population aged 65 and above will increase to 23% by 2030. And […]
At a certain point in a kid’s life, peers begin to have a great influence on them than their families. That’s why it’s so important that they hear from each other about substance abuse. Dana Neugent, media director at URI’s Harrington School of Media and Communication, helped URI, Mt. Hope and West Greenwich students make […]
Oral storytelling is one of the oldest traditions known to man; the intimacy of storytelling was how groups of people retold their history, entertained each other and reinforced their cultural values. The Rhode Island Black Storytellers’ (RIBS) Funda Fest, which takes place in late January and early February, keeps that tradition alive as storytellers share […]
[See also, “News Analysis: RI to Legalize Recreational Cannabis,” Jan 16, 2019] The more I talk to people on both sides of RI Governor Gina Raimondo’s proposal to legalize recreational cannabis, the more pessimistic I become that anything at all can be passed by the General Assembly: the proposal is almost custom-crafted to displease everyone and […]
Four public high school girls and an intelligent, caring teacher study and rehearse Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. This may seem nothing very unusual, but that play is a classic story of cliques forming within small groups, politicking for advantage. Its subject, the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693, were driven in large part by the testimony […]
[See also “Opinion: Governor’s Proposal to Legalize Recreational Cannabis – A Self-Inflicted Wound”, Jan 16, 2019] Gov. Gina Raimondo will soon formally propose to legalize recreational use of cannabis, citing pressure from legalization already accomplished in Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont; and from legalization widely regarded as imminent in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Norman Birenbaum, of […]
The new National Tour of the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical CATS will kick off at the Providence Performing Arts Center January 22 and will run through January 27. CATS is based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the […]
New Bedford’s Your Theatre Inc. (YTI) has a pleasant January planned with their upcoming production of the 1945 Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy Harvey by Mary Chase. The volunteer community theater has been a non-profit mainstay of the cultural scene in the southcoast area for more than 70 years, producing a full season of shows annually. Suzanne […]
I found myself in the Federal Hill section of Providence last month at Dusk Lounge for a sold-out performance from rapper Hamad. Labeling him as a rapper is, in all honesty, an understatement; he’s also a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist. Last time I saw Hamad take the stage was at 2017’s PVD Fest. I was intrigued […]